Different Approaches in Teaching Primary Mathematics

In teaching math to primary school students, consider that their rate of achieving proficiency with each topic can vary. A learner may also have a different attitude and learning style in math compared to their peers.
No single, monotonous formula exists for teaching math competencies to your young learners. You have to provide variety in how you cover each lesson.
By using different approaches in teaching primary mathematics, you will be able to give a well-rounded coverage of the theory, process, and applications of each math topic, on top of engaging kids who might otherwise be less actively involved in regular lectures.

1. Supplement your lectures with short videos

From a kid’s perspective, having to sit in class for hours on end and listen to a cut-and-dry math lecture will eventually lead to boredom and disengagement from the lesson.
You can easily make math class more stimulating by adding an eye-catching visual element in the form of short videos.
These videos can take the form of instructional content that directly guides students towards learning a new math competency, or clips and segments that showcase a math lesson in action in the real world.
Fun math video tutorials draw students’ attention quickly, especially if they are well-produced. You can use such videos as icebreakers at the start of a lecture, and then segue into your discussion with more interest from your learners.
In distance learning settings, recording your own lectures and adding a few special touches using video editing software can go a long way to engaging your students – learn what can draw their attention to you.
Of course, you don’t have to prepare your own video lectures; there are plenty online that can be used so long as you attribute it properly to the creator.

2. Hold hands-on activities

What better way to get your students involved in their math lessons than to hold hands-on activities for them?
These activities allow a student to actively participate in your class, giving them a little agency to express themselves and find their own path towards mastering a topic.
Hands-on activities cover an ample range of fields, including arts & crafts, games, DIY projects, and even contests.
Arts & crafts is especially effective for younger kids who enjoy coloring and creating things. Put their imagination to work in making artworks or a variety of crafts related to their lesson using cardboard, plastic utensils, yarn, and any other common household objects.
For games, think creatively. If you have a beach ball, for example, you can play a round of Catch and Solve, where players pass the ball around while answering each other’s math questions. Put a little physical activity into math and some kids can get really excited.

3. Promote team-based competition

Kids can feel more invested in studying math if they’re engaged in a friendly competition with their peers.
Such competitions can occur as one-shot events, in which the members are scrambled and everyone gets a shot to create rapport and cooperate with the rest of their peers. Give rewards; you can grant the winners of one contest bonus points on their next test.
You might also want to delegate your class into teams that will last throughout your subject. This provides teammates more time and exposure to each other, letting them learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and help one another to become better, which establishes a strong team dynamic.
Understand the mindset of students at their age. Competitions of any sort, especially those related to a subject, is an opportunity for them to showcase their abilities to their peers, earn prestige, or simply have fun with others. Harness these motives to make your competitions fun and engaging.
Keep in mind to structure your teams and competitions so that everyone’s grasp of the lesson is assessed; avoid letting a team depend on a few whiz kids to win.

4. Use worksheets to streamline assessments

Worksheets are among the most efficient methods to assess how your learner has absorbed a topic at the end of the lesson.
Ideally, you should have access to templates that let you quickly gather a batch of worksheets focused on different topics for different year levels. You might want to produce your own designs, although there are plenty of high-quality math worksheets online for you to conveniently save and print out.

5. Encourage them to keep a math journal

Somewhere during your first few lectures with a new class, you can instruct them to keep a small math journal.
The students will add a new entry to this journal for every topic, reflecting on what the lesson is about, formulas and equations used, and how they can apply their knowledge in real life (a frequent gripe among kids across generations).
Their entries don’t have to be exhaustive; one or two paragraphs can do – this is math, and being concise and straightforward is a virtue. Encourage them to write a little about your hands-on activities, your games, videos, or other approaches that you’ve applied throughout the year. Ask which ones they would like to have again, if they had you as a teacher for the next year.
These journals can count towards their final grade as part of their project, as well as bring you valuable insight on which of the different approaches in teaching primary mathematics have worked best to nurture your students’ interest in math.